JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. --- The Tusculum men's and women's indoor track & field teams competed on the opening day of the ETSU Buccaneer Invitational Friday in the ETSU/MSHA Athletic Center. The Pioneers will conclude competition on Saturday in distance events and jumps.
MEN
Freshman Widchard Guervil qualified for the finals in the 60 meters and improved his NCAA Division II provisional qualifying time. Guervil ran 6.89 seconds in the preliminaries to rank seventh overall, then was clocked in 6.82 seconds in the semifinals to move into Saturday's final round. Guervil's 6.82 was the third-best mark in the South Atlantic Conference this season and boosts him into the top 15 on the national qualifying list.
Sophomore Jay Boyd advanced to the finals in the long jump, posting a mark of 6.63 meters (21 feet, 9 inches) in his flight and following up with a leap of 6.85 meters (22 feet, 5 3/4 inches) in the finals for an eighth-place finish. Boyd's jump improved his season best by more than three feet and puts him in fourth place on the South Atlantic Conference performance list in the event.
In the 200 meters, Kedar Ashford had a season-best time of 22.84 seconds and finished 31st overall, with Khalil Green close behind in 40th place at 23.02 seconds. Green had the Pioneers' fastest time of the season in the 400 meters, clocking 52.16 seconds to take 31st place.
WOMEN
Jayla Lewis put up her best time of the season in the 60 meters, running 8.12 seconds and finishing in 31st position. Also recording a season-best time in the event was Briana McDonald, who was 37th overall in 8.21 seconds. In the 200 meters, I'Keriah Day finished 24th and had the Pioneers' best time of the season of 26.59 seconds, while Lewis was 35th in a season-best time of 26.94 seconds and McDonald placed 42nd and also ran a season best of 27.46 seconds.
Raygene Minus was the Pioneers' top finisher and ran a season-low time of 1:03.36 in the 400 meters, good for 30th overall. In the long jump, Day finished 21st overall with a leap of 4.77 meters (15 feet, 3 3/4 inches).
ETSU Buccaneer Invitational
Tusculum finishers
MEN
60 prelims: 7. Widchard Guervil, 6.89; 38. Dezmond Chambers, 7.21; 49. Jacob Acklin, 7.26; 56. Evan Altizer, 7.37
60 semifinals: 7. Widchard Guervil, 6.82
200: 31. Kedar Ashford, 22.84; 40. Khalil Green, 23.02; 58. Evan Altizer, 23.45; 70. Dezmond Chambers, 23.68; 93. Rodnell Cruell, 24.59; 94. Jacob Acklin, 24.68
400: 31. Khalil Green, 52.16; 57. Xavier Hayes, 54.58; 64. Rodnell Cruell, 55.72
Long jump: 8. Jay Boyd, 6.85m (22-5 3/4); 32. Kedar Ashford, 5.43m (17-9 3/4)
WOMEN
60: 31. Jayla Lewis, 8.12; 37. Briana McDonald, 8.21
200: 24. I'Keriah Day, 26.59; 35. Jayla Lewis, 26.94; 42. Briana McDonald, 27.46; 49. Raygene Minus, 27.66
400: 30. Raygene Minus, 63.36; 34. Bailey Pruiett, 64.17; 55. Deondra Thomas, 67.87
Long jump: 21. I'Keriah Day, 4.77m (15-3 3/4); 30. Jayla Lewis, 4.28m (14-1/2)
